Our unique international expertise

International Electoral and Democratic Development
For over a decade now, Grant Kippen has provided senior level electoral and democratic development expertise to countries located in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. He works closely, with election commissions, political parties, civil society organizations, national governments, and the international donor community to improve the knowledge, practice, and processes that lead to credible, transparent and inclusive elections.

Project Management
In many countries around the world, Grant has been responsible for leading multi-million dollar electoral, political party and democratic development projects, often involving several hundred national staff. In that capacity, he has built sustainable partnerships with key national and international stakeholder groups. He has worked in conflict and post-conflict countries, as well as in countries that are under going changes to their electoral systems, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Georgia, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Jordan, Libya, Moldova, Nepal, Pakistan, Sudan, Timor Leste, Ukraine and Yemen.

Electoral Dispute Resolution
In 2005 and again in 2009, Grant was the Chairman of the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) in Afghanistan that investigated and adjudicated thousands of alleged election related violations. He has also provided technical assistance to electoral management bodies committed to improving the transparency, accessibility and credibility of their electoral dispute resolution processes in such countries as Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Nepal and Pakistan.

Technical Assessment Missions
Over the years, Grant has participated in technical assessment missions that were responsible for identifying areas for potential programmatic support in the elections and democratic development fields.

Election Observation
Grant has held accredited observer status in a number of countries including Afghanistan, Cambodia, Pakistan, Sudan, Timor Leste and Ukraine.

Media
A seasoned speaker and panelist, Grant has participated in a wide array of international and national fora and workshops focused on the challenges of electoral reform and democratic development. He has offered media commentary to outlets including Al Jazeera, BBC, CBC, CTV, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, La Presse, Financial Times, The Telegraph, Le Monde, and Maclean's magazine.

Published Articles
Over the years Grant has authored, or co-authored, a number of published papers and articles on topics ranging from e-democracy to the future of democracy in Afghanistan.

Approaches to Voter Education and the Role of Civil Society, Chapter co-author, IFES, Washington, DC, as part of the collected edition, Guidelines for Understanding, Adjudicating, and Resolving Disputes in Elections (GUARDE). (2011)

The 2004 Presidential election: On the road to democracy in Afghanistan. Paper commissioned by the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada as part of a series of papers for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. (2005)

The challenges of e-democracy for political parties. Published by Routledge Press as part of an edited collection entitled, Democracy Online: The Prospects for Political Renewal through the Internet. (2004)

The Use of New Information Technologies by a Political Party. Published by the Simon Fraser University – University of British Columbia Centre for the Study of Government and Business. (2000)

International Capacity Building
Hillbrooke Group associates have provided counsel and support to a wide range of domestic and multilateral agencies and institutions devoted to international development and capacity building. These include:

Supporting the Canadian Bureau for International Education to implement a civil service modernization initiative in Ukraine, in conjunction with the Government of Ukraine’s Main Department of the Civil Service.

Participation in two technical missions to China, convened by the Research Office of the National Peoples Congress and delivered by the Parliamentary Centre for International Relations that focused on sharing methodologies and best practices for expanding public involvement in legislative processes.

Conducting an evaluation of the International Labour Organization’s publications and marketing efforts.

Contributing to the design of a human resource development strategy for post-apartheid South Africa for the Southern Africa Education Trust Fund.

Advising the Commonwealth Secretariat on the focus of an International Donor’s Conference on South Africa.

Delivering crisis communication support to the International Joint Commission.

"…Kippen stands out by standing back. Seemingly unflappable, doggedly methodical, he guided the ECC through weeks when many observers doubted that the results of its investigation would be allowed to carry the day."